TAMPA, NOV. 23, 2015 – The USF women's basketball team continued to move up in the AP Poll, and shifts up one spot to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll released Monday.
The Bulls lost in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) semifinals Thursday to No. 5/4 Baylor 66-63. USF is one of eight teams with at least one loss in the poll. No. 11 Ohio State is 2-2 and No. 14 Florida State matches USF's record at 2-1. Duke sits at No. 15 with a record of 3-1 while Arizona State falls at No. 16 with a 1-1 record.
USF is outscoring opponents by a margin of 11.3 points per game and is averaging a .406 shooting percentage. The Bulls are led by seniors Courtney Williams (27.7 points, 9.3 rebounds per game) and Alisia Jenkins (11.0 points, 11.4 rebounds per game). Jenkins grabbed her 1,000th rebound at Baylor, and is now 70 rebounds away from tying the program record set by Wanda Guyton (1,077).
The No. 18 ranking marks the highest ranking in USF women's basketball history. The Bulls started the season ranked No. 20 in the preseason A.P. poll.
| 2015-16 AP Top-25 Poll |
| Week |
Rank |
Record |
Points |
Previous |
| 2 |
18 |
2-1 |
257 |
19 |
| 1 |
19 |
2-0 |
225 |
20 |
| Preseason |
20 |
0-0 |
202 |
-- |
Jose Fernandez's 2015 women's basketball team returns all five starters, including All-American Candidate Courtney Williams, from a team that posted a 27-8 (15-3 American) record in 2014-15 and finished the season in the top 25 rankings. The squad finished second behind eventual NCAA champion UConn in the American Athletic Conference and made an exciting NCAA Tournament run that saw USF top LSU in front of 5,560 fans in the Sun Dome in the NCAA regional round.
In 2015-16, the Bulls will be hosting their toughest schedule yet, including the opening rounds of the Preseason WNIT, along with perennial powers Penn State, Chattanooga, Oklahoma State and UConn making trips to Tampa. Season tickets, starting at just $65, are available for purchase online at USFBullsTix.com, by phone at 1-800-GoBulls or in person at the Gate B ticket office of the Sun Dome, with single game tickets going on sale in late September.
USF has made 11 postseason tournament appearances and had three NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 15 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to six 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 260 games.
– #GoBulls –
